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SAKYA TOWN AND MONASTERY

Sakya monastery in Tibet
Sakya monastery

Sakya monastery (Tibetan ས་སྐྱ་དགོན་པ།) is one of the most impressive attractions in Tibet. It is located about 160 km to the South West from Shigatse on the way to Tingri.
Trum-chu river splits the complex of the monastery into two parts – one part is on the hillside, and another is on the valley below.
The monastery exterior is spectacular. It is surrounded by high black colored walls with watchtowers on all four corners. The primary colors of the monastery – white, red and black. These colors represent Rig Sum Gompo (three Bodhisattvas): Wisdom Buddha (Manjushri), Compassion Buddha (Avalokiteshvara) and Vajrapani.

Sakya monastery belongs to one of the four primary schools of Tibetan BuddhismSakyapa.
One of the main distinctions of the Sakyapa sect is that lineage of lamas is hereditary.

HISTORY OF SAKYA MONASTERY AND SAKYAPA ORDER

Sakya monastery in Central Tibet near Shigatse
Sakya monastery in Tibet

Sakya played an essential role in Tibetan history. It was once the center of political life in Tibet. During the Mongol Empire rule, Sakya Lamas allied with Mongol Khan. Due to the alliance, the Mongol Empire was converted to Tibetan Buddhism.
During the rule of Mongolian Kublai Khan in the 13th century, Sakya abbot became the ruler of Tibet. For the first time in the history of Tibet, the religious leader became the head of the government. Subsequently, Sakya town served as the capital of Tibet from 1268 to 1354.

Kön Könchog Gyelpo (1034-1102) founded Sakya monastery in 1073. The first building was the Gorum Temple on the Northside on the hillside. Sakya in Tibetan means “pale soil” and the monastery received its name because of the surrounding rocky mountains.

WHAT TO SEE IN SAKYA

Shakyamuni Buddha statue in Sakya monastery, Tibet

The majestic monastery built in a defensive manner is in the valley or south side of the complex. The Northern hillside of the complex is undergoing restoration.
Sakya monastery houses many important artifacts.

The Main Assembly Hall Lhakhang Chenmo (founded in 1268) is an impressive structure with 16 meters high walls, and the only ancient building not destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Thick walls (3.5 meters thick) support the building, along with huge sacred pillars. Along the walls of the hall, you will see large statues of Buddhas. These statues contain relics of Sakya abbots. The Buddha in the center contains relics of the founder of the monastery.

THE GREATEST LIBRARY IN TIBET

Collection of precious scriptures in Sakya monastery in Tibet
Collection of scriptures

From the Assembly hall, you can access the Sakya library containing the largest collection of scriptures in Tibet. The library collection was discovered in 2003 in one of the monastery walls. There are 84,000 scrolls, most of them are Buddhist scriptures. Some are elaborately decorated with gold letters and images of Buddhas.

The two primary Buddhist texts Kangyur and Tengyur (or Kanjur and Tanjur) are written in gold ink.

LARGE PILLARS SUPPORTING THE CEILING

Giant pillars in Sakya Monastery in Tibet
Pillars in Sakya Monastery

There are forty pillars in the Main Assembly Hall. Four of which are over one meter in diameter. Each of these 4 pillars has its own name, corresponding to its history: the yellow pillar, the tiger pillar, the wild yak pillar, and the black blood dripping pillar.

ANCIENT THANGKAS AND MURALS

Sakya monastery murals depicting scenes about Bardo - after death
Murals depicting scenes about Bardo – state after death

You will see many ancient murals on the walls of Sakya, many dating back to 13-14th centuries.

Among the most prominent are murals of mandalas, murals depicting the Abbots of Sakya, scenes of building the monastery and scenes from Bardo, the state after death.

Look for the newly painted murals in the corner of Lhakang Chenmo. They depict Sakya town’s historical appearance, before the distractions of the Cultural Revolution.

CHORTENS OR STUPAS

Stupa with relics in Sakya monastery in Tibet
Stupa with relics in Sakya monastery in Tibet

The chapel on the north of the courtyard contains 11 silver chörtens (stupas). The chortens contain relics of Sakya abbots. In the chapel, you can also see sand mandala.

SAKYA MONASTERY COMPLEX

There are several colleges where a few hundred monks from all over Tibet study. Due to all the student monks, there are over 300 monks in Sakya.

PLACES TO VISIT NEAR SAKYA MONASTERY

TOURS VISITING SHIGATSE AND SAKYA

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10 DAYS EASY ACCLIMATIZING EVEREST TOUR

This slow-paced private tour takes you from Lhasa to Gyantse and Shigatse, where we spend the first few days acclimatizing. We will visit many of the historical and religious places, such as Potala Palace, Jokhang temple, Gyantse Monastery, Kumbum Stupa, and Sakya monastery.

We will make stops by the most beautiful natural spots: Yamdrok Lake, Karola glaciers and many of the high mountain passes and viewpoints. Finally, we will reach Everest Base Camp, where we stay for the night.

Nine storey Kumbum Stupa, the largest s

6 DAYS CENTRAL TIBET HIGHLIGHTS

This private tour starts in Lhasa, where we spend the first three days acclimatizing. While in Lhasa, we visit UNESCO World Heritage sites: Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, and two main monasteries in Lhasa: Sera and Drepung. After that, we will drive on the scenic road visiting Yamdrok Lake, Karola glaciers and Gyantse monastery, before reaching Shigatse in the evening.

On the next day, you can visit the Sakya monastery before returning back to Lhasa. 

TOUR INQUIRY

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